May 8, 2026
Headlines

Health

Gamifying Sexual Health with OhMiBod’s Lovelife Krush

Heong Weng Mak04 mins

The smart people at OhMiBod may have ushered in a serious game revolution with the release of their new wearable device, Lovelife Krush. “It’s the gamification of sexual health,” declared OhMiBod’s co-founder, Brian Dunham, to CNBC’s Chris Morris as they discussed his product fetching one of Engadget’s top honors at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). This top honor certainly helps OhMiBod efforts to launch their new device into a Sexual Wellness market currently worth $16 Billion and forecasted, by research firm Technavio, to reach $21 Billion by 2019.

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NewU

Integrate Popular Fitness Tracking Apps With NewU

Heong Weng Mak04 mins

NewU is a free IOS app (and apparently not yet available for Android platforms) designed to integrate with all popular fitness tracking apps. Once that integration occurs, calorie burn statistics are pushed into NewU and converted into Sweetsweats. If the user changes his or her fitness tracking hardware – perhaps from FitBit® to MapMyFitness® or from Jawbone UP® to Apple Health® — NewU is supposed to seamlessly reintegrate with each new tracker. Moreover, NewU also provides users with access to what is described as “curated” health and fitness goods and services such as food, gyms, spas, nutritionists and other resources. NewU also has its own flavor of “selfies,” called “Fitfies,” and users can share them to inspire friends and earn bonus points when a user’s fitness partners join NewU. Bonus Sweetsweats are also awarded for your health and fitness-related recommendations.

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activate

C8 Sciences Offers Alternative ADHD Treatment with Activate

Heong Weng Mak05 mins

The numbers of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, have steadily increased in the last decade, figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. Many of these children are prescribed pills for treatment. But pharmaceuticals come with side effects that parents may not want to risk. Some companies believe that technology can treat the disease and they’re doing it with games. Focusing the child’s behavior on a video game with a health care objective has helped some children alleviate the behaviors observed in ADHD.

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MilestonePod: Running to Train and Win with Gamification

Heong Weng Mak03 mins

Training for a marathon feels like a lonely challenge for many runners, quietly logging in the miles. To alleviate this, Milestone Sports is launching a platform called MilestonePod for runners to track their training progress with gamification elements according to MarketWired. Individuals using the platform can track many metrics, connect with others, and compare training progress.

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New Research Suggests Fitness Games Improve Long-Term Health

Heong Weng Mak04 mins

If someone gave you the chance to claim a reward in exchange for boosting your physical activity, would you do it? It turns out, a lot of people are taking up that offer, apparent in the growing number of examples of games in health finding a place in businesses. But executives at companies considering such programs might wonder whether they work. New research suggests that not only are patients participating in games, this participation is also leading to measurable improvements in health.

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Health Games Research: Leading the Way for Gamification in Health

Heong Weng Mak04 mins

From casual smartphone gamers to hardcore console and PC elitists, almost everyone plays games. It comes as no surprise then that with the popularity of games on an upward slope, groups have come together to develop games that can support learning, reflexes, and peace of mind. The Health Games Research provides scientific leadership and resources to further the development. design, and effectiveness of game technologies that promote health.

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Gabarello: Immersive Gamified Physiotherapy Tool for Children

Heong Weng Mak03 mins

Innovations in the video game industry over the last several years have not only made for high hopes in creating the better gamification of rehabilitation exercises but could also bring those innovations into homes. Games like Gabarello for the Lokomat designed in combined efforts by the Zurich University of the Arts, the University Children’s Hospital Zurich, and the Institute for Neuropsychology and Sensory Motor Systems Lab created opportunities for children and perhaps now adults with lower body motor skill loss. If gamification can help patients improve their mental outlook and physical capabilities, then this method of rehabilitation should incorporated whenever possible.

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SCRIPT Helps Stroke Patients Recover with Physical Therapy Games

Heong Weng Mak04 mins

A stroke can result in devastating injury, such as impediments to speech and muscle movement. Survivors of stroke must go through physical therapy to rebuild their muscles and regain the ability to use their hands. This therapy can be productive, leading to restored hand function. While these exercises are helpful, they are not all that interesting. Many patients say that they find them repetitive and boring. But a new medical device that facilitates muscle movements in conjunction with computer games is showing potential as a new application of games in health care.

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SuperBetter: Improving Individual Resilience with Jane McGonigal

Heong Weng Mak02 mins

Last time, we featured author, inventor and co-founder of SuperBetter, Jane McGonigal to discuss about her upcoming new book, “SuperBetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient”. Supported by a decade’s worth of scientific research, Jane reveals how adopting a “gameful” mindset can help cultivate new powers of recovery and resilience in everyday life.

Watch the full interview below to learn about:

  • What were the challenges of of turning a gameful system into a scientific proven approach?
  • Are there conditions that games/gamification/gameful thinking would not be able to help improve an individual’s well being?
  • How does Superbetter and games in general contribute to the development of a person’s resilience?
  • Does gameplay in the virtual world provide sufficient impact in the “real” world?
  • How would a user experience SuperBetter if they are lacking social connections or “allies”?
  • How does the Tetris Effect improves an individual’s self control in memory recollection rather than erasing memory in trauma research?
  • Why does Jane introduces readers to the concept of gameful thinking and a series of small games introduced through the medium of a book?
  • How does Jane overcome environmental resistance and groups who are bias against games?

Watch the video or listen on the audio podcast below and be sure to catch our next episode of the Gamification Revolution.


Download this episode (right click and save)

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UCSF Hospital Uses Gamification to Increase Job Satisfaction and Performance

Heong Weng Mak04 mins

The medical field is hectic: stressful on good days, devastating on bad days. Amongst all the chaos, individuals are completing crucial tasks that can be the difference between life and death for a patient. The work done by medical professionals and other hospital staff often goes unnoticed. The leaders at UCSF Bennioff Children’s Hospital decided to make a change.

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CyberDoctor Gamifies Medication Regimen With Novel Mobile App

Ivan Kuo04 mins

As patients take more pills, tracking that medication and staying on the pill schedule gets harder and harder. There’s no shortage of mobile apps that aim to help patients stick to the drug regimen. But many of these apps feel punitive. After all, an alarm or warning that you haven’t yet taken your meds can feel more like medication compliance by punishment. It doesn’t have to be that way. A gamification startup has developed a mobile app that encourages medication compliance by turning the mundane drug regimen into an engaging game.

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Gamification Fitness Games List for Summer 2015

Ivan Kuo04 mins

From new year’s resolutions to workplace challenges, weight loss is a constant topic around the water cooler. Unfortunately, for many people, despite their obvious health benefits, fitness activities are also among the least fun ways to spend your spare time. Mobile app developers have taken notice, and developed gamification fitness apps that allow users to exercise and lose weight while being immersed in game base narratives and mechanics. Here are a few of our recent favorites:

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